Card Game: Rules

Master document of the current game rules:

Equipment: Standard deck of 52 playing cards.

Setup: Players divide the deck equally between them and shuffle their own decks and set these on the board as their draw piles. They then take turns dealing and placing cards from their draw piles face down on the board as land cards one at a time until the agreed upon limit is reached. Next, each player, in turn, draws a set number of cards to their hand and places one to be their castle and draws a card to their hand. After all castles are set they place their general card and draw a card to their hand. After both generals are in place the first battle takes place.

Defaults: Two players. Each player contributes three land cards for a total of six. Players’ hands are limited to total of four cards.

Turn: The players take turns. During their turn the player is the attacker and their opponent the defender. The attacker plays one card as an army card from their hand onto any land card to begin a battle. The defender then plays an army card of their own. Both players then draw a card before the turn is over. When the turn is over the defender becomes the attacker and vice versa.

Battle: The values of the army cards played by the attacker and the defender as well as any applicable bonuses are compared. The player with the highest total value wins and claims the land card and the army cards used in the battle. Unless the defender plays a card from the same suit as the attacker’s card in which case the lowest total value wins. In the event of a tie the battle is won by the attacker.

Stack: When a card matches the value or suit its value is added to the value of the other card - regardless of whether the player would like it to or not, cards always stack if they can. The castle may stack with the general. The general may stack with the castle or an army. And an army may stack with the general or the land card its played on. Face cards break stacks – they cannot be used either in stacks or to create a stack between any other cards.

Undercut: When a card is played against a card of the same suit then the lowest total value wins.

Castles: Your castle card’s value stacks with that of the general’s if it matches the value or the suit of the general. Face cards do not provide a castle bonus. When a non-face card is placed as a player’s castle it provides a bonus ability depending on that card’s suit.

Castle bonus: Heart: When you defend add 3 to your total value in addition to any other stacking or other bonuses.

Castle bonus: Club: When you attack add 3 to your total value in addition to any other stacking or other bonuses.

Castle bonus: Diamond: Once per turn before you have played an army card you may take one card from your hand and place it on the bottom of your draw pile and draw a new card to replace it.

Castle bonus: Spade: When you win a battle you may choose any revealed land card to capture not just the one where the battle has just taken place.

Generals: Your general card’s value stacks with that of your army’s if it matches the value of the suit of the army.

Armies: Army cards are played during a battle to determine the winner. You army card’s value stacks with that of the land it is battling on if it matches the value of suit of that land.

Land: The attacking player plays an army card onto any land cards to begin a battle. Land cards are initially played face down. If they are face down they are turned face up after an attack is made through that particular land. When a battle is won the winning player claims that land card and the army cards used during the battle.

Claim: When a player wins a battle for a land card they claim it and the army cards used to battle over it. They then choose whether to 1)Control - they may place both army cards played onto their bottom of their draw pile and end their turn. 2)Capture – they may exchange either one of the army cards or their general card for the land card and place both remaining cards onto their discard pile and end their turn.

Values: Numbered cards are worth their face value. Face cards are worth the following as armies: Kings, Queens – 11, Aces – 1, Jacks – 0. As land: Ace – 1, Kings, Queens, Jacks – 0.

Winning the Game: A player wins the game when meeting any of the following conditions: 1)Dominance: all land cards on the board are claimed by the player. 2)Conversion: the player creates a situation where every land card either has the same face suit or a face value within one of the land cards to either side of it. 3)Attrition: the other player cannot play or draw a card.